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Job interviews test a lot of different skills. It is not easy to clear the interviews, but it isn’t impossible either. The real trouble comes up when there are way more applicants than the number of vacancies. Things can get really tough in those cases but your job as an applicant is to give your best and then wait for the results.

When you are applying for an interview, the very first thing which you have to do is send in your duly filled application along with your résumé. Now, the selection panel hasn’t seen you. So, they have no idea of what your personality is, how you carry yourself, your ideas, your confidence or anything at all. The only way they can judge you is via your résumé and your application.

The selection panel usually makes massive filtering merely on the basis of these two things. Does that make you realize the kind of importance which your résumé and application have? They can make and break your future even before you get interviewed. This is why we are going to focus on both these aspects here.

The application

Every job board will have some of their questions which they want the applicants to answer. Having the common questions for all applicants is one of the best ways of filtering out the candidates because there is a common ground to assess them.

Always spend a great deal of time studying the question and working on them or you’ll be running around screaming find me a job to everyone you meet. The job application is a very important document and rushing through it will only harm your career. You need to reason well and fill in the answers after carefully assessing these points.

So, it is your responsibility to ensure that you double check the application. There should be no errors in the application; neither technical nor factual and not even grammatical. If possible, get your application screened by someone who knows the basics well. Take as much opinion as needed but give your best shot.

An important point to remember here is not to quote false facts and do not over-exaggerate your abilities. You never know the tricks used by interviewers to verify what you have stated.

The resume

Coming to the resume, it is really important to be sure that you are writing the perfect one. First of all, we want to add that every resume is different. Do not work on the concept of ‘one resume, fits all’. You need to tailor your resume based on the company and the job profile you are applying to. It is this final touch of customization which ends up making all the difference.

So, you need to ensure that you go through your résumé, check out the exact requirements which the company has, study your job profile meticulously and then decide the best way to tweak the résumé in a way that it will fit the needs of the selection panel.

The resume doesn’t necessarily need to be long but it should have all the required information which makes it complete enough not to weed out your chances of application.

These are some of the important things you should keep in mind to ensure that you have a better chance of getting an interview call at least. Once you get the call for the interview, the preparation should begin all over again as that would be a different ballgame.

Job interviews can be very stressful but once you manage to get the perfect job, it sets the rest of your career in the right manner. So, start working on these aspects beforehand and then when you fill in a job application, recapitulate the points and implement.

How To Answer “What are your strengths?” Job Interview Question?

When interviewing you, the employer wants to learn as much as possible about you, to see if you are qualified for the job he is offering. Of course, there will be more people applying for the job, and more than one of then is going to be qualified as well, so you need to present yourself as the best possible candidate.

The interviewer is going to ask you a lot of questions in order to see whether you are qualified, and you will need to have a good answer to all of them, because every mistake matters. That’s the reason you should prepare yourself before each interview.

Luckily, similar questions appear on all of them, so you can prepare yourself in advance. Many candidates don’t prepare before interviews, so if you are reading this, you are already in the advantage. Today I’m going to teach you how to answer the “What are your strengths?” question.

This is a commonly asked question for all kinds of jobs and positions, and that makes sense.

Employer wants to know what do you bring to the table, and why should he hire you in particular. The interviewer will want to know things like whether you can get along with others, what are your skills and talents, how ambitious you are, and the best traits of your personality.

The problem with this question is that most people think it’s an easy one to answer.

You just have to brag about your skills, right? Not really. If you don’t prepare yourself, you can easily say something wrong and bury your chances of getting the job. I will point out a couple of common mistakes that people do when answering this question. First, lack of self-awareness. To talk about your strengths, you must first know what they are. You should analyze yourself as a person in order to find out what your real strengths and weaknesses are.

This takes time, so you can’t prepare your answer while driving to the interview. Secondly, Modesty. You should never be afraid to talk about your strengths. Many candidates are just too humble, or afraid of looking arrogant.

Of course you don’t want your employer to think you are arrogant or conceived, but you can’t allow yourself to hold back at the interview. I’m sure interviewers can already differentiate mere bragging from a real speech about your strengths, you make sure to mention all of them.

If you prepare the answer beforehand, you will be more confident answering this question. And lastly, choosing irrelevant strengths. While it is true that you need to list as much skills as possible, if they are true for you, those that are irrelevant for the job should be left out. If you are applying for a job in a tech company, for example, they will hardly care that you can jump very high or eat 5 hot dogs under a minute.

So how should you talk about your skills? First of all, as I already said before, you need to prepare yourself. Sit down and make a list of all of your strengths. They could include your previous experience in that kind of industry, your education, your best personality traits and your talents. Then, narrow down your list to the most relevant ones for the job. Think about the job you are applying to, and which of your strengths would help you there.

After that, you should think of some examples to present your strengths in the best way. Just listing one after another won’t get you far.So, what strengths should you choose? First of all, they have to be accurate.

Be yourself in the interview and don’t copy others because their answers worked for them. Pick strengths that you actually posses. The also have to be relevant and specific. Pick strengths that matter for the job.

They have to be specific so they can give an employer the reason to hire you instead of everyone else. Most of the people are going to start by saying that they are very friendly and like to socialize, so you say something else.

Also, as mentioned before, don’t be humble when presenting your skills and strengths. Be confident and realistic.
Of course, it could be hard for you to prepare your answer when you don’t even know what your strengths are. So how to analyze yourself in order to learn your strengths? You can always ask someone who is close to you.

Ask them to tell you honestly about your strengths. Ask more people, and you will notice that some strengths repeat in every one of their answers. You could also take some personality tests, and you maybe even find some strengths you never considered before. i personally recommend “Myers Briggs personality test”, as it is very accurate and useful, which I know from personal experience. Once presenting your strengths, you shouldn’t just list them one after another. Once you pick a strength to talk about, elaborate on why do you think that skill is relevant, how does it help you to the job and how can it be useful for the company.

For example, lets say you are interviewing with the up and coming, fast growing start up Uber, and they ask you this question about your strengths, if you pick “communication skills” as one of your strengths, you could say something like: “I am a team player and will always consult with my colleagues in order to do the job as good as possible.

I also feel very comfortable while presenting my work to my senior executives in the company.” You should give a sentence or two like this for every of your strengths you decide to include in your answer.

For the end, sometimes the interviewer wont ask this question directly. But, there are other similar questions that also basically ask you about your strengths, such as “Why should we hire you?” or “Why are you the best person for this job?” This is the same question as “what are your strengths?”, just asked in a different way. In every interview, you will be asked about your strengths, in one way or the another. Here is a good video you must watch from our partner;

Well, I really hope this short tutorial was useful to you. Thank you for reading and good luck on your interview!

Is Management Consulting Right For You As a Career Path?

Many hopeful graduates fresh out of college are ready to jump right into the exciting world of management consulting. Everything about the job benefits are alluring; high pay, the opportunity to travel, exposure to many different industries and business models, the chance to work with many different kinds of leaders, flexibility and freedom are among some of them. It is so easy to get swept up in the grandeur of finally being able to stand independent in the world with a good job and a passion for work.

That’s great. No one is try to squash that dream, but, as many things go, the line between reality and fairy-lit fantasy is thinly drawn. Not all Business majors are going to flourish as management consultants simply because, like all jobs, having the qualifications, or “the smarts”, to do something doesn’t mean you should.

Here are some things to consider when trying to decide if management consulting is right for you:

Flexibility

Management consulting is not your typical 9-to-5 desk job. It’s much like a doctor’s; you could be relaxing at home one moment and then having to spring into action the next, off to fix some huge, taxing issue. It’s flexible in the sense that you don’t always have to wake up at a certain time, do a certain thing, and be done by a particular time. But, it is a job, and there’s no coming and going as you please. Consultants are expensive as they are generally experts called in to solve a problem a company is having. That’s why landing a permanent (or permanent enough) gig is difficult. But, when you are needed you can’t just decide to go on a vacation with your family or on a trip with your friends. Flexible as it may be, there is also the chance that it will cut into your personal life. So, if you’re someone who doesn’t like to be on call, then management consulting may not be for you.

Eloquence

This may not come off as a shock, but in management consulting one must always be on stand-by to give a summary of some project or comment on the progress. This job is all about making connections, interacting with people, and being ready to collaborate with anyone. You may be on a large team of other analysts all with the same goal or working on solving separate problems, but collaboration is inescapable. The field of consulting demands people who are hands-on and engaged in the seamless execution of a newly-implemented strategy and dedicated to finding the root of a certain issue. Eloquence in words is necessary, as well as eloquence in actions. Fumbling of any kind is read as incompetence and that’s a red flag for clients. This isn’t suggesting that introverts or naturally anxious people are just out of luck. The key is practice, practice, and…more practice! Internalize your work and be ready to give elevator pitches at any moment.

Big Picture

The reasons why companies need a consultant are because something within their own system is failing them, disallowing any sort of forward progression, or posing a hindrance to overall or department-specific activities. The consultant’s purpose is to latch onto to the problem, magnify it, and create a strategy to prevent and/or eliminate it. In order to do that, one must familiarize his or herself with something called System Think. It is basically being able to weigh the relevance and place importance on certain parts of something relative to its whole. It is being able to see the big picture while also identifying all of the smaller parts that make the whole machine function as it does. It is really a multi-tasking job. Career in management consulting is definitely not all butterflies and rainbows. While company staff are focusing on the consequences whatever unknown problem is causing and looking at it from their very biased perspectives, a consultant should be able to take those separate pieces and fix them together to see the big picture. From that point they should be working on figuring out how the smaller picture is affecting the big picture and that may lead them to an answer, or at least jump start their journey into coming to a sound conclusion. Consultants are detectives at the core. If you are going in this thinking you won’t have to be a good problem-solver and that the company will simply provide some numbers and all you need to do is plug them into some graphs and make a few powerpoint slides, you need not apply.

How To Dress For An Interview?

I am often asked by young people about the best way to dress for an interview. The answer is not simple. So much depends on the type of job, the company environment, the hiring manager, and your personality. You may not know much about the company or the hiring manager. The job type might not include a standard for professional attire. Also, any company today can intentionally defy standards as part of its branding strategy. It’s just not as easy today as it was for your parents, who knew to wear a dark suit and red tie or conservative dress and heels for any interview.

In general, however, dressing for an interview has not changed forever. The reason why you should care about your dress and for the attire choices you will make remain the same – your appearance is the hiring manager’s first impression of you, if you let it be. Rather than trying to “dress to impress,” the key is that you don’t “dress to not impress.” Let’s look at the basics:

Grooming

More than anything else, you should be clean and healthy looking with well-maintained teeth, hair, nails, and “aroma.” Too much cologne or perfume is as bad as a wisp of body odor. Worn clothing, unshined shoes, ill-fitting attire, and untrimmed hair will say more about you every minute you sit in front of hiring managers than anything you can hope to say in answering their questions. Displaying respect for your appearance indicates your respect for the opportunity you’re being given to interview with the company. That’s not to say that you won’t be hired unless you look like a runway model or that you should be self-conscious of a few extra pounds. It should just be obvious that you’ve done the best that can be done with what you got, and be confident.

Posture

This is another non-verbal sign that can greatly influence hiring managers, whether they even understand how it has influenced their opinion. Do not slouch, whether standing or sitting. Exhibit attentiveness without seeming to be on edge. Be calm and thoughtful, but also energetic. Remember that confidence is good but overconfidence may just be your undoing. Clothing should hang loosely to convey personal confidence and security, yet still fit and flatter your body style. Don’t conflict with the hiring manager’ style, yet don’t sink to their level if it doesn’t reflect well on you. For example, if the manager is soft spoken, leaning forward too far may invade her space. However, just because the hiring manager is exhausted from interviewing many candidates, you shouldn’t lean back in your chair and relax as well. Instead, identify with or accommodate her behavior in other ways, such as by slowing down your speech or shortening your responses. Do not make the hiring manager uncomfortable.

Reflect Their Style

Ideally, you will have researched the company’s culture and how it is reflected in the way employees dress. That’s not to say that if its culture is very informal you should show up for the interview in shorts and flip-flops; however, you shouldn’t necessarily wear a suit and tie either. Perhaps, jeans and a blazer with a button shirt is the appropriate middle ground.

On the other hand, applying at a large law firm or accounting practice would suggest a business suit be worn. When in doubt, choose to elevate your dress one level. If at all possible, find out how the hiring manager dresses – for example, if the interview has been scheduled by a third-party recruiter, ask her for guidance. If applying with a large company, you might contact the HR department and ask the receptionist for advice.

Ageism is Usually Not an Issue

Don’t make it one by dressing too young or too old. For most jobs, it really is true that employers don’t care so much about age. They only make it an issue when you do by acting in a way that reflects immaturity (young) or lack of energy (old). Don’t mention your age or draw attention to it in any way. An older candidate should wear sufficient clothes to stay warm on a cold day, but not so many layers that she seems to suffer from poor circulation. On the other hand, younger people tend to wear fewer clothes and to shun some certain undergarments, such as slips, hose, and undershirts. Look like you own a complete wardrobe.

Dress with Confidence

Choose attire that you feel great wearing – as long as it fits the guidance here. Nothing you can wear will look better on you than confidence. A highly confident person wearing a burlap sack probably has a better chance of being hired that any finely-dressed wallflower. Wear your best smile. Polish your sparkling eyes. No one will care about your cheap Timex watch when the hand wearing it shakes theirs firmly, for an extra second or two, and you look directly into their eyes with an inviting smile and sincere pleasure for their company.

To Hose or Not to Hose

Not too many years ago, it would have been unheard of for a woman to not wear hose when wearing a skirt or dress to an interview. That custom seems to be evolving, but I wouldn’t recommend flouting it as some personal political statement. The goal is to get the job offer. Wait until you have the job to express your more rebellious self.

Most Importantly

The way you dress should not attract attention or detract from their attention on you – unless you’re applying to a company in the fashion industry. The goal is to impress the hiring manager with your skills, experience, achievements, and personality, not your custom-tailored suit. If the hiring manager doesn’t even remember what you wore, that’s probably a very good thing. You probably don’t recall what the President was wearing last time you saw him, and millions of people voted for him.-

How To Answer Why Should We Hire You Job Interview Question?

“Why should we hire you?” Honestly, if you can’t answer that question easily, the employer probably shouldn’t hire you, and you probably shouldn’t have applied for the job in the first place. This is the question you should want to be asked in an interview and the very one you should have prepared to answer. In fact, the entire interview is only an elongated version of this question. Be that as it may, and as basic as it sounds, it is surprising that it has been one of the leading deal breakers for many interviewees.

If you’ve made it as far as the job interview, you are probably qualified for the job. Just as all of the other candidates interviewed are probably qualified for the job. The hiring manager is not asking this question because she or he wants you to tell him, again, the facts of your resume that qualify you for the job. You are being asked to distinguish and differentiate your candidacy from the other qualified applicants, in a way that makes a compelling case for hiring you.

Don’t Say This…

Let’s start by clarifying how you shouldn’t answer this question just in case you’re not clear on the hiring manager’s motivations.

Don’t underestimate how serious this question is. Yes, it sounds simple, and it could be simply answered if all that it required was a literal answer. But, it’s not simple, so don’t throw out a glib response that respect the manager for asking it.

Don’t repeat your qualifications verbatim. The manager is not testing you to see whether you remember what is in your resume.

Don’t answer without showing the excitement you should feel at the opportunity to answer this question. This is your big chance to make the case for your candidacy. It should be obvious that you’ve already positively answered the question’s corollary – “Why should I want this job?” – and that, being a goal-oriented overachiever, you would have contemplated this one and are now eager to answer. Don’t jump up and down, but show a little passion.

Don’t recite a memorized response. This rule actually applies to every interview question, but the importance of this question demands that I state it clearly. A rote response suggests a generic, insincere answer. The manager will think the interview equivalent of “I bet you say that to all the girls.” Sound like you thought about the question before answering and that your response only pertains to this opportunity.

Be Prepared…

Know that you were going to answer this question in the interview – whether it was asked or not! You are there to sell yourself; don’t leave without making your strongest case. If the question isn’t asked, you must look for your chance to make your case anyway.

With that certainty in mind, you must prepare a compelling sales pitch in advance. Begin by outlining requirements stated in the employer’s job description to identify their key hiring criteria. You have to develop an answer for why you are the best candidate for each of those criteria.

Sure, the truth is that you may not be the best candidate for some of the criteria – like every candidate you have strong qualifications and others that are not as strong – but you should have an answer ready for addressing each criteria to the best of your ability.

So, develop those answers. First, map your talents and experience to each criteria to identify overlaps. Overlaps are great – it means that your unique talents solve multiple problems they face. As you synthesize and shorten your answers into a compelling narrative to sell yourself, those qualities you possess that solve multiple issues will rise to the top.

As possible, document career accomplishments that confirm and quantify how you applied each of those skills to achieve success.For example, “My creativity and leadership allowed me to produce an effective ad campaign that increased same store sales 45%.”

Quantifying a skill is huge. Anyone can say they have talent. Translating your skill into documented success resonates with employers. It is what the employer expects you to do for its projects.

Finally, practice telling your story.

You’re not repeating the story, you’re telling it, which means it will probably sound a little different every time, and that’s OK. You want to be able to tell it to the hiring manager easily and naturally. By knowing your story, and not memorizing it, you’ll be able to tweak it on the fly if required based on what your learn about the hiring manager during the interview.

Ready, set, GO!

Now’s your chance. You’re in the interview, and the question has been asked.

Pause for a moment to gather your thoughts. The hiring manager will appreciate that you’re thinking about the question. Based on what you’ve learned so far, decide which are the manager’s most important criteria. Ideally, you’ve taken notes during the interview for this purpose so this part should come naturally. At all cost, do not give a rushed answer even if the answers are fresh in your mind; you may just come off as a nerd and lose favor with the hiring manager. Take your time and respond only when you think you have summoned the full attention of the interviewer.

Formulate an answer that covers those important criteria. Your response should take no longer than a couple of minutes, so it’s unlikely that you can cover every reason you have in hand, but that’s OK. Your answer should be concise and to the point.

As mentioned above, interject a little passion into your answer. Not nervous excitement, or hyperactive emotion; just a very obvious confidence in the answer you will provide such that you have no hesitation in relating it. Speak clearly and calmly.

Finally, follow up your answer with a question to confirm its effectiveness – “Do you have any doubts that I am the best candidate for the job?” “Can I clarify anything about my skills, experience or motivation to work for your company?”

Now, Shut Up

It is an old cliché in the Sales profession that “the first one to speak loses.” He asked the question, you answered, and then followed up with a leading question that seeks to clarify your standing among the candidates. Let him answer! If he raises no issues with your candidacy, ask for the job, and shut up again. If you’ve done your job well, he’ll answer, and you’ll like what he says.

The above approach was very good. However, if you want to take this even a step further then I strongly suggest you demonstrate your skills and experience with a simple one page powerpoint slide like the one below from The Career Mastery;

If you click on the above picture, it will take you to a page where you can actually download the PPT template. Hope you benefit from it.

How To Answer Tell Me About Yourself Job Interview Question?

Many people seem to get very nervous when it comes to getting interviewed.This is normal! You get used to it with more experience.

The reason is because many people think that since they have to answer many different questions in a timely manner they get stuck and sometimes confused or lost because they either forget what to say or just do not know what the questions mean.

Also, they start wondering on why they would even ask such a question.

The main reasons for asking the question tell me about yourself is because they want to see how you are going to respond and react to the question. Also, they want to see what you think is the most important to you about the job.

Many people get the basic question of an interview asked first and also know as the most frequent question in the interview.

When the person that is interviewing you and says tell me about yourself, they are mainly looking for answers that is about you and the job that you have applied for. Many people seem to get very nervous or try to say as little as much as possible when it comes to this interview question because they do not know what exactly it is they want you to say. From my perspective I have learned many tricks and tips to help me when it comes to this interview question.

For example, when I had my very first interview at my first job which was at Long John Silver’s/ AW I learned how to just pretend as if I am talking to someone I just met but, in a more professional manner. This helps because when you first meet someone they say the same thing as a person would when they interview you. They would say something like tell me something about you and right then and their you think of things that you want to tell the person but, not everything.

This is the same way with your interview…

Let them know the important things but, not everything about you. Think of this question as if you were in school and had to write a paper about yourself. You would basically make a summary of things about you but, once again you have not told your whole entire life story.

Some things that you can let the interviewer know when they want to know about you is if your still in school or have graduated. Also, you can let them know if you are currently in college and if you have pursued any degree or certificates.

Let them know things that you enjoy doing but, would pertain to the job that you have applied for. You can also include small highlights of your qualifications and skills that you have. During an interview you want to also make sure that you are being professional by sitting up tall, not always saying ummm or waiting too long to answer a question, just answer the best way you can.

Also, you want to show great listening and communication skills to let your interviewer know that you are interested in what he/she is saying. Also, let them know what position you were looking for and why.

Which means look up some common interview questions and go through them and also give answers to what you would want your response to sound like when your actually there. Also, they throw this question out to you because they want to see if you really know what skills, experiences and abilities you have that are most important for the position you are going for. Some things that you do not want to do when your asked this question is to make sure you do not go into depth and end up telling your entire life story.

Also, you do not want to tell your entire resume, you only want to hit the key points of your resume that is known to be important for the interviewers. Also, you do not want to ask the question or respond by saying what do you want to know about me because that will show you are very unprepared and not a good candidate for the job. Make sure that you keep it short and simple when it comes to answering about yourself. Something that everyone should know is practice makes perfect.

Knowing how to answer the question in the right way can help you be a successful person when it comes to interview.

An interview is known to be the process to show an employees potential and also their skills that they are able to present on the job. So, making sure that you answer the interview questions the best you can will help you get a job quickly. No matter what the interview question is you have to make sure you are confident and answer in properly.

It helps the interviewer with the hiring process and your position of the job. Also, the interview is known to evaluate the candidate. An interview is known to be the most successful tools to getting great employees with outstanding potential.

Also, the interview tests your knowledge and contents in other areas. Like, your general areas which are your mental ability, personality and your goals and interests. It shows how you can retain your information and how you process the information in your interview.

It also shows what your goals are that your trying to reach and accomplish as an employee.

Another content that an interview test is your experience which basically means the prior jobs you had and the prior knowledge and experience that you gained from your last job and that same position that your applying for at the other job.

The last area that an interview tests you in is the core job elements the basic things needed to get the job. They also asks you questions like what are your weaknesses and strengths which can be known when they ask the question tell me about yourself because it lets them know how prepared you are how you qualify to be an employee at this job because your strengths and weaknesses lets them know if those are the things needed to get and maintain the job.

So, let me share with you some answers;

“I’ve been working as a manager with PwC Consulting for the past 4 years. During this time, I was incredibly privileged to have undertaken over 100 projects in various industries. Amongst these, 2 projects have definitely conquered my heart. First being with a regional ministry of social affairs. The program we developed for the ministry allowed 3,500,000 people to access social welfare and we strategically engineered the program in a way that yields from the fund grows consistently year over year, allowing better services for the ones in need.

Another project I am most proud of is when we developed and implemented organizational transformation strategies for a Fortune 500 client. This 2-month work resulted in 24,000 employees keeping their jobs.

Prior to PwC, I was with 2 other consulting companies specializing in sustainability and project management. And I started my career with S&P where I worked as an analyst until 2008 recession which is when I was laid off – I guess some would find this ironic…

In addition to this, I have an MBA degree from Cass Business School of City University London and I hold various professional certifications, including PMP, PMI-RMP, and CMA.

Now, I’m looking forward to taking my career to the next level with ABC and continuing to add more value to my clients under your umbrella.”

How To Write A Resume Objective and Resume Summary

The art of writing a resume. Oh don’t even get me started on this… The hours, days, weeks I spent on writing a well crafted resume in my 3 decade long career. But we are not going to be talking about writing an entire resume today.

We will focus on how we can write a resume objective or a resume summary. Listing your qualifications and employment history is simple enough but how do you really grab an employers attention?
A resume summary is a few sentences that can really sell you to an employer. Its a short summary that tells the employer a bit more about yourself. It is an important tool as it gives employers a clear understanding of who you are and what you can bring to their company, at a quick glance.

You can use the resume summary to summarise (obviously) your career highlights and your personal strengths as well as your professional goals.

When you are writing, try to think about what you have that others don’t and what sets you apart. This is critical. Let me repeat, try to think about what you have that others don’t!

These are the things that will stick with the person reading your resume and make them sit up and take notice.

Imagine you are them, going through hundreds of resumes all with the same thing, over and over again. Something different will make them pay attention in closer detail, rather than just scanning over the resume. Due to this scanning of your resume, if your best bits are skipped over through the body of the resume, you could be missed. However, if these are the first things the reader sees you have a much better chance.

Now you know why a resume summary and resume objective is important, what do you need to include?

The first thing you should do is make sure you have read the job description fully and in detail. Keep an eye out for an key skills the employer is looking for, as these can be included in your summary.

Once you’ve done this, its time to think about what your key selling points are and what you can bring to the company that will interest the employer. Think about what you would look for in a person if you were the one hiring.

Also ensure that what you include is specific not only to the job role you are applying for, but to the company offering the position. Once you’ve got this and an idea of what you want to include, its time to starting writing!

The resume summary should be based at the top of your resume, directly under your contact details. This means its the first thing the reader will see and can be used to really grab their attention.

It is also recommended that the summary is not written with first person pronouns.

This is because using these pronouns put focus on you as the applicant, whereas you want to the focus to be on the company and what you can bring to them. Think about if you were a hiring manager, what are you thinking when you read a resume? You aren’t thinking ‘What can this company give to the individual?’ but instead, you are thinking ‘What can they bring to us?’. Keep this frame of thinking throughout the writing of your statement and you are sure to grab their attention.

Makes sense so far?

A good place to start the statement with is your title in a professional sense.

This can help the reader see that you are fit for the position you are applying for. An example of this is Senior Marketing Executive. After this you have the main body of the statement and this should only be a few sentences – its good to remember that on average, hiring managers only spend a few seconds looking at a resume so if the statements too long then they will only glance over it and not read it.

Therefore, having a few sentences will get their full attention and this will actually have more impact. In the main body you want to outline a few professional traits you have and any experience, that is relevant to the position you are applying for. If you do not have experience the area, highlight the academic training you have.

In your summary statement, you also need to tell the employer what you want to do in your job role. Think about what you enjoy doing in your job role and include this in your statement. Try to avoid anything you don’t enjoy – even if you are good at it. If you don’t enjoy it now in your current role, you won’t want to do it in another job.
Now you have the main body of your statement completed, its time to think about you most important selling points. You need to think carefully about what requirements can go in the remainder of your resume and what are the points that will really make you stand out.

I can’t stress enough that only things that separate you from other candidates should go in the statement. A popular example of this is using MS Office. This is a often a requirement in job descriptions, but its also a requirement many people have. This would not necessarily make your resume stand out more than others. So make sure you pick the things that are unique to you and something that makes you stand above the rest. This is the time to talk about what you bring to the company and what you can do for them, rather than what they can do for you. Keep the focus on the company.
Now things you don’t want to include in your statement include, as mentioned above, are the skills that, whilst may be required, are not unique and do not set you apart from the crowd. You also do not want to include phrases that are supposed to be ‘great on your resume’ but are in fact over used and common. These include words such as ‘hardworking’ and ‘organised’.
Remember, the summary statement is the first thing the reader will see about you (aside from a covering letter). This is your chance to make a great first impression and really show off your individual skills. However, as hard as it is, keep the statement short and sweet to ensure it is all read and taken in. Once you have their interest, they will likely look over the rest of your resume so everything else thats not as attention grabbing but still important, will still be taken into account.

So here is a good example for a resume summary;

“Having worked for 12 years in Marketing and Brand Management, I am looking forward to joining ZYX to bring my decades long marketing expertise with me. I have also accumulated significant number of valuable client relationships based on trust and high quality work which I believe I will continue to serve under ZYX’s umbrella.”

The above is short yet concise for a resume summary.

If you need to write a resume objective instead of a summary, then I suggest you can use one of the below;

Resume Objective: To obtain the position of a junior analyst with PwC where I can leverage my high-quality education from XXX and consulting skills gained from my internship/s at XXX.

or

Dedicated management consultant with 12 years of experience around the world. Served over 100 clients with project values exceeding USD 200m total. Received “Consulting Falcon Award” for two consecutive years. Looking to continue my achievements with XXX.

How To Answer Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years Job Interview Question?

Have you ever been to any job interviews? If yes, you know that they always ask that “where do you see yourself in 5 years?” question.

Did they get that out of some “how to hire people” textbook and asking just because they always like to follow the same pattern?

No. I assure you right here, before we even start, that this question has a very good purpose being a part of the interview and every word and gesture of your answer might just decide whether you will be hired or not.

So, why do they ask that question?

This is actually a trick question, and you can’t learn some word or phrase to magically open the door to your career, because there aren’t any “correct” answers, but I WILL teach you how to answer the question correctly.

I’m just saying that there are no answers that will work in every situation. Now, lets get started.

The actual purpose of this question is to rule you out. That’s correct. Although the process interviewing has a goal to actually HIRE someone, they will want to make sure that you meet the criteria for the job.

Most questions on the interviews are not about giving the right answer, they are about not giving the wrong one. Did you get this? As the competition for the job is higher, your every mistake may be a fatal one. Employers want the best people for the job, and you can’t afford to give an answer they don’t want to hear.

So, what should you say?

How should you answer this dreaded “where do you see yourself in 5 years question”?

Most people who look to get hired get this question wrong, so you will be in an advantage when you learn how to answer it properly. Although this is a trick question, you shouldn’t try to avoid answering, or change the topic.

Your first idea, and also wrong one, is to express that you feel very ambitious about this job, and in 5 years you will already be promoted 10 times, drive a luxury car and be a millionaire.

This is wrong because you are not being realistic.

Also, don’t try to be funny or even point out that the question is a trick.

Take your answer seriously.

You shouldn’t sound neither too ambitious nor not ambitious at all, your answer should be realistic, but still positive.

Be confident in your skills, but don’t over value them.

They actually want to see how committed you are for the job you are applying for RIGHT NOW, because you don’t want to get your job in 5 years, you want it now.

You will also have to be enthusiastic about the job you are applying for. They want some who is genuinely interested in the job, and not just someone who is here because he needs a job, any job. if you show that you are someone who just wants to collect paychecks every month, and that is the reason you is applying now, you will surely get rejected.

You have to show that you care about the job, that it’s something you want to invest your time in because it interests you, and that you see your future within the company.

Another reasons why you have to be enthusiastic, is because most employers see you as an investment. If they think that you will quit the job as soon as you get a better offer, you are not worth hiring in the first place.

The best way to show this is to do some research about the company. If they see that you already know about job positions they are offering and some general facts about the company itself, it will show that you aren’t sitting at the interview to waste their time, and above everything else, that you are serious about this.

I already said this before, but I repeat, DO NOT try to be funny or witty. You are an adult who is applying for a real job, and this is a serious thing. I’m sure they had their fair share of people who tried to get the job by impressing the employer with how unique and funny their answers can be. But this is not a comedy movie and you won’t get the job for saying something random, trying to sound special. You can’t, however, just learn this tips by hearth and repeat them on every interview.

You need to keep the job you are applying for in mind, because not all employers are looking for an exactly same type of person. Also, your answer should be divided into 2 parts. In the first part, say something about how excited and enthusiastic you are about this opportunity.

In the first part, say something about your future plans in the company. By dividing your answer into 2 parts, you are both stating your desire for the job and your ambitions for the future. After reading all of this, you are probably thinking that there are just too many conditions to answering this question the right way, and you will never manage to put it all together. But there are many variants of the correct answers especially to where do you see yourself in 5 years question, so you just need to learn how to put what you just learned into words, and that’s it!

Read a few examples to get an idea of how your answer should sound, and then try to write a few examples yourself, and see which one seems to be the best option.

You should prepare before each interview, because they won’t wait for you to come up with an answer. I will provide you with an example of the correct answer, so you can get the general idea:

“Thank you for asking! I am really excited about my role in this company because of the job itself, and that makes me want to commit to the company on the long term. In five years, I will hopefully gather enough experience to be promoted in a supervisor role so I can influence others and contribute to the organization’s success greatly. I am planning to work hard to achieve both mine and company’s goals.”

Now that you have the general idea, I can only hope that this was helpful to you, and wish you luck on your future interviews.

The new developments are exciting. We have been able to partner with various industry leading organizations to provide you with the educational and career support you need. Our first partnership is with monster.com. Although we are still polishing the aspects of this partnership, it’s apparent that we will be able to provide employment support to our subscribers. This agreement will result in you getting preferred candidate status. So, be on the look out for news!

The second partnership we are about to seal down is with The Career Mastery. This partnership will provide our subscribers with direct coaching sessions with career experts at a discounted rate. Again, be on the look out for developments on this page!